Playing with Fire
by QAFfangirl
Summary: This is an alternate ending to episode 4 X 04 (Cody and Justin start kissing in front of a straight couple, when the couple makes a comment and leave. They follow them to the car and basically start a fight in which both a knife and gun were pulled) This story explores what might have happened if they weren't so lucky and Brian's reaction to the events. Please review!
1. Chapter 1

"What the fuck did you do?" Brian screamed, arms swinging as Michael and Ben held the distraught man back. "Get him the fuck out of here now. He shouldn't fucking be here!"

Ben wrestled Brian to the ground of the emergency room floor "Brian they're going to arrest you if you don't calm down" he warned "Cody's gone"

"Think about Justin" Michael added "He needs you to be here"

Brian erupted in tears "I'll kill him; if he doesn't make it; I'll kill him" he cried. Michael sat on the floor and wrapped his arms around his best friend.

Brian calmed down and Ben and Michael helped him to a waiting room chair and handed him a glass of water. He looked up to see Jennifer Taylor flying through the sliding doors with Debbie. Both had pained looks of déjà vu on their faces.

Debbie spoke first to Michael "What happened?" she asked, tears flowing.

"I want to see my son" Jennifer commanded to the nurse at the reception desk.

Michael walked Debbie away from Brian's earshot. "Justin was stabbed" he said. "He and Cody were patrolling for the pink posse only they went looking for trouble off Liberty Avenue. They got into a fight and someone pulled a knife."

"Oh my God, poor Sunshine" Debbie wailed loudly.

"Poor Sunshine?" Brian remarked with sarcasm "How could he have been so fucking stupid? I told him he was being a twat. I warned him and he wouldn't listen"

"Brian" Michael warned as Jennifer returned to the group "this isn't the time. That doesn't matter now"

"They won't let me see him; they said they are taking him to surgery" Jennifer cried out exasperated "It could be hours"

She looked at Brian and burst into tears. "How could you let this happen again?" she started hitting his chest in despair "You were supposed to keep him safe"

Brian grabbed her arms and stood up to console her "I know" he said softly "I'm sorry" he repeated holding her tightly "I'm so sorry"

"It's not Brian's fault" Michael interjected "It's that homophobe who stabbed him!"

Debbie wrapped her arm around Jennifer after she was calmed down "Come on dear; let's go get some tea for you"

Brian just stared at the wall; the color drained from his face. Michael sat next to his friend reassuring him "Justin's a fighter" he offered "He'll be okay"

"I can't lose him" Brian said tears falling down his face "I can't lose him Michael". Michael sat next to Brian's side for nearly three hours while they waited.

A doctor dressed in a long white coat and surgical hat approached the crowd in the waiting room. "I'm looking for family of Justin Taylor" he called out.

"I'm his mother" Jennifer jumped up "How is he?" He escorted her to a corner of the waiting room. "Brian?" Jennifer prompted him giving her approval for him to join their discussion. "This is Justin's partner" she introduced Brian to the doctor.

"Justin is a very lucky young man. The blade was about an inch from puncturing his heart. The knife wound did puncture his lung which we've been able to repair surgically" the doctor continued "We'll watch him closely over the next 24 hours but we have every reason to suspect he will make a full recovery."

"Can we see him?" Jennifer asked following a deep sigh of relief.

"Not yet" he said, he will be in recovery for about another hour "the police are waiting to talk to him about what happened. You should know if they arrest him, they may prevent him from having further visitors."

"Arrest him?" Brian yelled "Why the fuck would they arrest Justin?"

"Mr. Kinney, I don't know what the police will do; my job is to take care of his medical needs; however, when he was brought in we were told he and another gentleman started the fight and pulled a gun and the stabbing was in self-defense. I have no way of knowing the truth nor does it impact his care. However, if it was my loved one; I would secure an attorney.

Jennifer burst into tears, "how can this be happening?" she cried as Brian hugged her.

"Jennifer, stop crying" Brian said taking charge "Have Michael call Melanie and tell her to get here quick. I'm going to take care of this. Call me with any updates."

He grabbed his stuff and ran out the emergency room door without saying anything to anyone. Ben ran after him "Brian, where are you going?" he screamed but was too late. Brian hopped in his corvette and tires screeching, peeled out of the parking lot.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, please keep them coming! Also I apologize for the amateur medical and legal narratives**.

"Mr. Taylor" spoke an authoritative voice that Justin didn't recognize.

Justin opened his eyes and quickly closed them. The lights were bright and his head was pounding. "Brian" he called out but his voice was raspy and his throat sore. He felt like someone stuck a wad of cotton in his mouth.

"Mr. Taylor" the voice repeated "I'm Dr. Washington. Do you know where you are?"

"Brian" Justin managed again this time opening his eyes to survey the room.

"Mr. Taylor, your family is still in the waiting room. You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

Justin shook his head no; he was very groggy but was acutely aware of a sharp pain in his chest. "Pain" he mumbled before closing his eyes again.

"Mr. Taylor, you were brought in with a stab wound. You've had surgery to repair a punctured lung" he continued "you're in recovery but we'll be moving you to a private room shortly. I will have the nurse bring you something for the pain"

Justin nodded and fell back asleep. He felt a terrible pain on his side as he was lifted unto a new bed for transport to the new room. The movement triggered a memory of his last hospitalization, after Chris Hobbs smashed his skull. Justin panicked and started hyperventilating. He felt smothered; he was gasping for air and each breath brought tremendous pain.

"Justin" a nurse patted his shoulder "Justin, we need you to calm down. Justin, I'm going to give you some medicine to help you calm down"

After that, Justin felt a warm sensation and then he blacked out. He woke up in a hospital room two hours later; his mother and Melanie were sitting by his side. His mother was rubbing his hand.

"Justin!" Jennifer called "Thank God!"

"Brian" Justin tried to speak but was unable; he became aware of a tube in his throat and started to panic.

"Justin" his mom said again "don't try to talk you have a breathing tube. You had an allergic reaction to a medication they gave you."

Melanie returned with the doctor who proceeded to examine him. After a few minutes he spoke calmly "Mr. Taylor, you gave us quite a scare there" he said patting his shoulder "I'm going to remove this tube from your throat. On the count of three I want you to blow as hard as you can. Ready, 1, 2, 3….."

Justin felt a horrible gagging sensation as the doctor pulled the tube from his throat.

"Don't try to talk" the doctor instructed him "we'll get you a little water but your throat is going to be sore"

Justin started to regain some clarity. "Brian?" he mouthed to his mother; unable to make noise.

Jennifer didn't know what to tell him, it was just like after the bashing. She couldn't explain his lover's absence to him and it broke her heart. "You'll see him soon" she finally offered hoping that it wasn't an empty promise. "He was here earlier; he will be back" she reassured him.

A knock at the door was followed by the entry of two men Justin didn't recognize. "Mr. Taylor" the taller man spoke "Mr. Taylor, I'm Detective Wills; this is my partner Detective Savage. We have a few questions about what happened tonight."

"I'm Melanie Marcus, Mr. Taylor's attorney" Melanie spoke holding out her hand to the detectives providing them her business card. "My client is still under the influence of pain medications and we have not had a chance to speak in detail. Until then, I have advised him to not answer any questions. Mr. Taylor would very much like to cooperate in apprehending his attacker. I would be pleased to call you when he is medically stable enough to provide useful information."

"Ms. Marcus" Detective Wills spoke "I need to ask Mr. Taylor about the whereabouts of one…., "he paused checking a small notebook "….Cody Bell".

"Justin" Detective Savage approached Justin's bedside pushing past Melanie "Cody Bell is a very dangerous man and we would really like to find him. It is in your best interest to tell us where he is"

"Justin, don't answer that" Melanie instructed "Detectives, if you are not arresting Justin and I believe that you have nothing to support such a decision. I'm going to have to ask you to leave so my client can recover from this vicious attack. I recommend you spend some of your energy looking for Mr. Taylor's attacker."

Justin overheard the detectives but remained unable to speak and think clearly. The memory of the night's events started to come back with fuzzy details. _We were patrolling, looking for homophobes. Cody kissed him in front of the straight couple. The couple was disgusted, said some insulting words and we followed them to the car. _

Detective Savage approached Melanie glaring at her, "Look lady, your clients mixed up with a dangerous individual. Cody Bell has several warrants and is suspected of the attempted murder of his father. We recovered a gun with Mr. Bell's prints at the scene, that gun is linked to two other unsolved murders. We believe he is still armed and very dangerous. The man that stabbed your client is saying that Cody and Justin attacked them. He claims he stabbed Justin in self-defense. This man has no record and his girlfriend and several witnesses as well as the video surveillance all show your client and Mr. Bell following them into the alley. The sooner your client can cooperate; the better off he will be"

_The gun, _Justin thought to himself letting out an audible groan, _Cody pulled a gun. Where the hell did he get a gun?_

The detectives left and Melanie approached Justin leaning in closely. "Justin" she said dead seriously "Justin, I don't want you to talk to anyone about this until I come back. Do you understand? No one! Not the police, not your mom, not Brian, no one! Do you understand me?"

Justin nodded, terrified.

"Jennifer, do not ask Justin any questions about what happened and don't let anyone else ask him anything either" Melanie commanded "I will be right back"

Melanie stopped by the waiting room to get the car keys from Lindsay. "Wait, where are you going?" she asked following Melanie into the hallway.

Melanie lowered her voice "I need to take care of a two things and I will be back"

"What's more important than what's happening with Justin?" Lindsay asked upset with her wife for deserting their friend at such a time.

"First, I'm going to find Justin a criminal defense lawyer, this isn't my area of expertise and he is going to need someone more experienced. He is in deep shit."

"….and second?" Lindsay asked worriedly

"We need to find Brian, he has no idea what he's getting himself into" Melanie warned, sending a chill up Lindsay's spine.


	3. Chapter 3

Brian Kinney didn't know where he was going but he somehow ended up outside of Daphne and Justin's apartment. He sat outside in his car, smoking a cigarette and planning his next move. Daphne would still be at the hospital but he had Justin's personal items with him, including his house key. He looked down at the key ring fingering each one as he thought through his plan. Justin didn't have many keys just the three; to his apartment, his mom's place and Brian's loft. He hadn't even owned a car yet; how could the stupid twat have lived long enough to almost be killed twice but not even owned a car? Brian pumped his fist in frustrated anger on the steering wheel. He was so angry with Justin; how could he have been so fucking stupid?

Brian got out of the car and walked up the four flights of stairs to Justin's place. He entered the space with a slight smile realizing he had never actually been there. Justin always came to him or Brian picked him up out front. He never took the time to see the inside of the small one bedroom space. It looked like Daphne or any straight college girl's apartment; it reminded him of Lindsay's place at Penn only with fewer artworks and more CD's. He looked around unsure of where to begin; books, soda cans and ashtray's strewn about; a mismatch of furniture including the futon where Justin slept in the living room. He sat down on the futon and picked up the pillow holding it his chest. It smelt like Justin; faint traces of his sweat, cologne and shampoo lingered on the pillow case. Brian breathed it in before setting the pillow down and beginning his search. He rummaged through papers on the desk, looked in closets and under the bed before he finally located Justin's messenger bag. He opened it slowly, pulling out books and sketch pads, going through loose papers looking for anything that might lead to Cody. There wrapped in an old t-shirt of Justin's, he felt the hard object he had been terrified he might uncover. He pulled it out of the bag, still wrapped, and took a deep breath before uncovering it. He looked down with a mixture of disappointment and sadness at the gun he knew Justin had been hiding from him. He just couldn't believe it was coming to this.

Brian left the apartment and returned to his car. He made a phone call along the way to a friend Sam, well Sam was not really a friend, more of a "my ass is yours anytime you want it" acquaintance. Much to Sam's dismay, this wasn't a hook up call, this was business. Sam happened to be a police officer with access to records Brian needed. He took the serial number of the gun and agreed to find out if the gun was registered and to whom. Brian drove back towards Liberty Avenue when Sam called him back.

"That was fast" Brian said picking up the phone.

Sam sighed "You are going to owe me a hundred blow jobs for this. What kind of shit are you in?"

"Nothing you want to know about" Brian cautioned "What can you tell me?"

"The gun's registered to Cody Bell…." Sam started.

"…I need an address" Brian interrupted.

"Brian" Sam said stoically "This Cody Bell is a suspected murderer. How did you get his gun?"

"That's not important…the address?" Brian demanded.

"I'm not sure if it's current" he warned "304 Ross Ave #201"

Brian said thanks and promptly hung up. Throwing his phone onto the passenger side seat, it unintentionally bounced on to the floorboard of his car.. He immediately did a U-turn speeding towards Ross Avenue. Brian ignored the vibrations as his out-of-reach cell phone rang repeatedly.

He pulled up to Ross Avenue two doors down from the address and waited but not sure for what exactly. The neighborhood looked older but still decent; the address itself was rundown compared to the renovated buildings that surrounded it. Brian picked up his phone, three missed calls from Melanie and one from Jennifer. He listened to the messages while smoking another cigarette.

_Beep* Brian, it's Mel. Call Me Immediately!* Beep_

_Beep* Brian, it's Mel again, Answer your damn phone. Listen Justin's in deep shit, you need to get back to the hospital now * Beep_

_Beep* Brian, It's Jennifer Taylor. I just thought you should know Justin's awake, he's asking for you.* Beep_

_Beep* Brian, for fucks sake, this Cody kid is a murder. Where the hell are you? Don't going looking for him. Get your ass back to the hospital, we need to talk!* Beep_

Brian picked up the phone and dialed Melanie. "Mel, it's me" he said. "How's Justin?"

"Brian, thank God" she said "Where are you?"

"That's not important" he snapped "How's Justin?" he repeated.

"He's awake, thank God" she said "but this is worse than I thought. He needs a criminal lawyer, I called a colleague but she's not cheap and she won't do it for free. I'm headed back to the hospital to meet with her and Justin now"

"Don't worry" Brian offered "Get him the best…I'll take care of it"

"I knew you would" Melanie countered "Listen Brian…."

Brian stopped listening as he saw a man approaching the building. The man walked suspiciously, with a dark hoodie pulled up over his head, looking around more than a normal person would in a neighborhood he lived. "I got to go" he muttered and hung up the phone quickly before Melanie had a chance to warn him further.

Brian watched this man approach. He paused to look around before punching in the building access code and opening the door at 304 Ross Avenue. Brian quickly exited the vehicle and jogged to reach the door moments before it locked close. He waited holding the door open, peering inside to see the man enter the stairwell. When Brian was confident the entry was clear, he went inside. He reached under his shirt adjusting the cold metal object he had tucked into his waist band.

Brian took to the stairway, taking two at a time; he entered the hallway to the second floor and saw the hooded man, fumbling his keys outside apartment 201. He rushed him, spinning him around and pinning his against the door. "Cody, you fucking son of a bitch" he screamed.

The man jumped and let out a yelp from the surprise and raised his hands to his face in a defensive posture. "Don't hurt me" he yelled looking down at the floor. "Here take my money" the man offered reaching for his wallet.

"What?" Brian stuttered finally getting a good look at the man who was clearly not Cody. He was at least forty. "Who the fuck are you?" he demanded "Where's Cody Bell?" Brian released the man from his grip still keeping him cornered against his door with his body.

"Cody?" the man laughed "Why would you think Cody would be here?"

"This is the address I was given" Brian stated intentionally not elaborating "Do you know where I can find him? It's important" he insisted

"No, but if you find him…"the man started smirking "…make sure you call the police and tell him his father told him to burn in hell"

"You're his father?" Brian clarified stunned "We need to talk!"

"Come on in" the man said opening the door "I'm Frank, by the way, Frank Bell"

"Brian" he offered, entering the apartment unsure of what he was hoping to accomplish.

Frank closed the door, ominously locking all three deadbolts and ushered Brian into the apartment.

The hairs on the back of Brian's neck stood up. He instinctively started to reach for the gun when a clicking noise from behind startled him.

"Sit down Brian" Frank commanded.

Brian turned slowly to confirm that he already knew. Frank Bell stood in front of him, legs spread, and arms outstretched holding a rather large gun. Brian raised his arms in surrender and took a seat on the couch; his phone continued vibrating in his pocket.

* * *

A/N: I have so many QAF stories swirling in my head but I plan to be disciplined and finish this one. If you like this please check out my other stories posted on this site and review, review, review.

I recently discovered QAF is finally streaming on netflix so I have be reliving the series although they f*cking ruined it by replacing the soundtrack. Thankfully almost all the episodes are available on youtube with the correct soundtrack. You have no idea how much of a difference the music makes to the show, it's like another character.

Also, I know it looks like Brian might be in big trouble but rest assured that no major character death's are forth coming.


	4. Chapter 4

When Melanie returned to the hospital she was met with concerned looks and tears from her wife and friends. Michael, in particular, looked very distraught.

"Now what happened?" she asked, giving Lindsay a quick peck on the cheek.

"It's Brian" Lindsay explained "no one can get a hold of him; his phone just rings and rings."

"I talked to him about an hour ago; he called me to check on Justin." Melanie hoped this would reassure the crowd although her tone was not nearly as optimistic as she had hoped.

"How's Justin?" Ben asked as Jennifer approached the group with an update.

She shook her head back and forth conveying the hopeless she was feeling "he's sleeping now" she spoke quietly "Daphne stayed with him. He just wants Brian. Has anyone heard from him?"

"Jennifer" Melanie interrupted "I asked a colleague of mine, Sara Winters, to represent Justin. She is a criminal attorney. She will be here shortly to talk to him and hopefully we can get this whole mess straightened out."

"A criminal attorney?" Michael wailed "why the fuck does he need a criminal attorney?"

Melanie filled in the rest of the crowd on the situation at hand. The accusations that the police had made, Cody's history, and the very real danger Brian might be in. Ben and Michael looked stunned, unable to contemplate the events of the evening and how things had gotten so terribly messed up. Debbie started to cry; first for Justin and the fear she had that her Sunshine might be in real trouble but then for Brian, her second son, and the very real danger he may be in.

"What do we tell Justin?" Ben asked "I mean about Brian"

"Nothing" Jennifer commanded forcefully, almost issuing a warning to those that crossed her wishes "he has enough to worry about. We tell him nothing."

The group soon dispersed dividing up the work of taking care of each other. Debbie left to take care of Gus and J.R. from the girl's friend Dusty. Daphne went to pick up some personal items for Justin so he would have them when he woke up. Melanie waited with Jennifer for the Sara to show up. Ben offered to pick up Molly and take her back to his place with Hunter. However, Michael and Lindsay, refused to go home. They decided to search for Brian.

"Should we stop by the loft first?" Lindsay volunteered.

Michael nodded, "I don't think we will find him there but we have to start somewhere"

On their way back to the loft; Michael got a call from an unknown number.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Um…Michael" a somewhat familiar voice on the other end of the line "It's Daphne"

"Daphne, is Justin okay?" he asked panicked unsure of why else she would be calling.

"I don't know" she stuttered "I mean, I guess so, I'm not at the hospital. I just came home to get Justin some things but I'm not sure but I think….."

Michael growing inpatient "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Someone's been in the apartment" she finally spit out.

Michael looked at Lindsay his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and disbelief. "What's the address?" Michael repeated the number and street out loud before hanging up with Daphne.

Lindsay punched in the address to the GPS in her car. She accelerated towards Daphne's apartment.

When they arrived Daphne was crying on a futon in her living room. She was holding Justin's bag. Lindsay gasped upon entering the apartment. It was turned upside down. Furniture was knocked over, the floor was littered with papers, and there was broken glass on the floor where a window leading to the fire escape had been smashed.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Lindsay "What happened?"

"I don't know" Daphne cried still in shock "I came home. I thought we were robbed, but nothings missing. Maybe there wasn't that much to steal? I mean my laptop, the television, a few pieces of nice jewelry that I have; they are all still here. Justin and I had about $500 in cash for emergencies in the freezer; it's still there as well."

"I don't think this was a robbery" Michael offered trying to console her "It looks like whoever it was; was looking for something"

Lindsay started picking up the room when Michael stopped her. "Don't touch anything" he warned. "I'm calling Carl. We need help"

Michael waited with Lindsay and Daphne for Det. Carl Horvath to arrive. He continued to try to reach Brian on his cell without success. When Carl arrived he took alook around and took a statement from Daphne. He grew tired on the evasiveness of the inexperienced threesome.

"Look" Carl finally said "If you want my help; your going to have to trust me and tell me what the hell is going on. I assume this has to do with Justin but believe me the police do not need amateur sleuths out there getting in the way"

Lindsay finally confessed "We're trying to find Brian. No one knows where he is and we think we might be after Cody."

Carl sighed. "Of course Kinney would go off half-cocked" he ranted picking up his phone intending to call the detectives working the case.

"You don't know Brian" Michael offered "He will do whatever it takes to protect Justin. I've never seen him crazed as he was when Cody walked into the ER tonight. He will hurt him if we don't find him first"

"I think we need to be more worried about Cody hurting Brian" Daphne suggested a look of fear in her eyes.

"I know that Cody's dangerous, but Brian is pretty tough. He can handle himself in a fight" Lindsay exclaimed.

Daphne just shook her head back and forth, a look of guilt and regret on her face. "I think I know what happened tonight" she spoke softly "I am pretty sure it was Cody that was here tonight; and I'm pretty sure he found what he was looking for"

"What?" Carl, Michael and Lindsay all cried in unison.

"I didn't know what to do" Daphne cried "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do"

"About what?" Carl said getting on eye-level with the young frightened girl "You need to tell me what you know"

"Justin" she said "I went to get a pen out of his bag yesterday and I saw it. He had a gun. I didn't want him to get in trouble so I didn't say anything but the gun, it's not here anymore."

"It could have been the gun they found at the crime scene" Carl said "It was Justin's?"

"No" Daphne explained "It couldn't. Justin left his bag here. He's was at Brian's all weekend. He didn't come home between the time I saw it and the time he was attacked. I know because I waited for him to come home so I could talk to him about it but then Brian called letting me know what happened to Justin. Whoever broke in; has the gun"

* * *

Justin woke up in a cold sweat. _What a nightmare _he thought to himself opening his eyes. His eyes soon adjusted to the darkness as he took in the surroundings of the hospital room. He became aware of a strange sensation on his arm where his IV was taped to his skin. The unfamiliar sounds of a squeaky wheel on a cart rolling down the hallway and a soft constant beeping of an IV drip startled him more awake. Then the pain hit; the fucking pain like someone stabbed him in the chest. _Oh God It wasn't a nightmare; it was real._

"Brian" he called out hoping he wasn't alone.

"Hi honey" he heard his mother's voice answer "can I get you anything?"

"Where's Brian?" he asked again his voice raspy.

"Do you need water or pain medicine?" Jennifer offered, evading his inquiry yet again unsure how long she could avoid the topic.

Justin nodded "Water, thanks"

Jennifer took a pitcher of water and poured a glass into the plastic cup on the tray that extended over Justin's bed. She used a remote to lift the head of Justin's bed up so that he could drink from the straw. The movement alarmed Justin as the slightest change shot waves of intense pain through his chest. He gasped, sucking in deeply.

"I'm sorry honey" Jennifer apologized "I didn't mean to hurt you"

"It's okay mom" Justin said "I'm okay. I'm sorry too." He offered for putting his mom through this again. She looked exhausted and stressed. He took a sip of water and coughed. The coughing also caused severe pain and he made a mental note to avoid coughing and moving if he could help it.

"Justin" Melanie peeked her head in the room. "Is it okay if we come in"

Justin nodded and looked genuinely surprised when the "we" Melanie referred to was not Lindsay but another woman who was introduced to him as Sara Winter. Sara was easily taken for a lawyer. She had a no nonsense ora and no frills power suit on. She wore her blond hair up in a bun almost as if she was trying to make herself less attractive to be taken more seriously. She wasted no time in clearing the room and putting the cards on the table.

"Justin" she said coldly "If I'm going to help you; you must be completely honest with me. Don't sugar coat it and don't spin it. Just tell me what happened"

"Some things are still a little hazy" I started. Sara nodded in recognition as I began to tell her the story of the nights events and what I knew about Cody Bell.


	5. Chapter 5

Brian Kinney had been in a few sticky situations and misread a couple of people before. He had gotten beat up by Justin's dad, mouthed off to the wrong guy a few times, had some uncomfortable moments resulting from a faulty gaydar and been tormented by one or two homophobic bullies in high school but he had never stared down the barrel of a gun.

"Listen" Brian spoke calmly hoping to use his second best skill to get him out of this situation in one piece.

"Shut the fuck up" Frank yelled "You think you're the first guy that Cody has sent to try to take me out?"

"What?" Brian asked genuinely confused "I think you've got the wrong idea"

"You think I don't know a fucking faggot when I see one?" Frank spouted shaking the gun at Brian as he ranted "The last guy pistol whipped me and tried to tie me up but now I have this with me everywhere I go"

"Look, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about" Brian smirked "I'm not here to hurt you; like I said I'm looking for Cody. I have my own set of daddy issues; I don't need to get involved in his."

"Yeah right" Frank continued "You want to kill me or fucking do perverted things to me? I had you pegged for a fag the second I saw you."

"What's with every straight guy thinking every fag wants to fuck them?" Brian said smugly "Listen pal; you're not my type and I hardly have to force someone to fuck me and as for killing you: the only person I want to kill is your son, which from the sound of it, would be doing you a favor. So how about you put the gun down and tell me what the fuck you know"

"Why?" he stuttered shocked by Brian's cavalier attitude "Why should I believe you?"

"Let's just say, he fucked a friend of mine" Brian explained "…and not in a positive, life affirming way"

"A friend?" Frank questioned "Who, your fucking boyfriend?"

"Look, is that really important?" Brian added not wanting to try to explain his and Justin's relationship to this homophobic asshole but sensing that the man was not going to relent and considering he was still holding the gun, he continued "Yeah, I guess you could call him my lover or my partner. The point is that he's in the fucking hospital because Cody convinced him to do some shit and I'm not letting Justin go to prison because of Cody's acting out fucking psychotic revenge fantasies all because his daddy didn't love him enough"

Frank lowered the gun slightly "So he got another one" he said mysteriously.

"Another what?" Brian snapped

"Your friend, Justin, right?" Brian nodded "He's been hurt right? What did Daddy beat him up?" Frank asked so casually it made Brian cringe.

"Yeah something like that" Brian confirmed. "How did you know?"

"Cody found him another poor shmuck to play queer avenger with" Frank said smugly "that's what Cody does. He's too big of a pussy to do the job himself. He's done it before. That guy that pistol-whipped me; he didn't know me from Adam. Cody's all talk. He finds other kids, fags, that are tired of being picked on and he gets them to do his dirty work for him"

Brian listened intently. Of course, it was all making sense; the fucking pink posse. He was looking for guys like Justin. Someone who had been bashed and never got revenge.

"Look I wasn't happy when Cody told me he was a fairy" Frank said "but that's not the worst of it. Cody is really screwed up. Even as a kid; we had to get rid of our cat cause he kept trying to set it on fire." Frank's laugh gave Brian a chill up his spine. "Whatever happened with Justin; I wouldn't try to confront him on your own. He's my son but hell even I'm scared of the guy."

Frank lowered the gun finally tucking it in the waist band of his pants and standing up. "Hey, how'd you find me anyway?"

"Justin. He had this address written down for Cody" Brian lied seeing no reason to let Frank know he found Cody's gun. "can I leave now?"

Frank got up and walked to the door, he unlocked the deadbolts and opened the door for Brian. "Listen man, I'm sorry your friend is mixed up with Cody. I hope he's okay"

Brian nodded and left the apartment quickly returning to the safety of his car.

He finally checked the cell phone that had been wedged in his pocket. _Seven missed calls, fuck! _His battery light was flashing. He didn't have time to listen to the messages. He picked up the phone and called the only person he could think of.

"Hey" Brian smiled hearing the voice on the other end say hello.

"Brian" Justin said "Where are you? I need you."

"I'm on my way soon. I had something to take care" Brian explained "I'm so relieved you're going to be all right".

"Brian" Justin said solemnly "I'm sorry"

Brian's phone made a buzzing noise signaling the end of the battery life and promptly shut off. _Shit, Shit, Shit! _Brian thought throwing the phone down.

Brian started the car and headed towards the hospital to see Justin. He decided that trying to find Cody now was futile; if he was as crazy as Frank said Brian knew he couldn't convince him to turn himself in or make him confess to get Justin off the hook. He would go be with Justin and tell the police what he had learned from Frank and let them take it from there.

Brian stopped by the loft to pick up a change of clothes. He planned to stay at the hospital tonight with Justin as long as he was allowed. He was still concerned about Cody showing up again while Justin was asleep but thought the likelihood of that was low. Cody was probably in Canada by now.

Brian impatiently climbed the stairs to his loft not wanting to wait on the elevator. He slid open the door and immediately grabbed a bag from the closet, throwing a pair of jeans and a black fitted tank in the bag; he added some sweatpants for good measure figuring the nursing staff might not appreciate him sleeping in the nude. The thought of climbing into the hospital bed with Justin nude distracted him momentarily as he looked at the bed he shared with his young lover. The bed was unmade since they had both rushed out the door this morning; Brian smiled as he recalled they were both running late after an amorous Justin had woken him up with his mouth around Brian's cock; which in turn led to some fairly passionate sex followed by a lengthy shower. Justin's cum stain was still evident on the sheet from the morning activities.

Brian grabbed his bag and headed out. He locked the door and remembered he didn't grab his phone charger. He re-entered his loft, grabbed the charger and left hastily.

He was all the way to his car and down the street headed back to the hospital when he remembered he had forgotten to re-set the alarm and lock the door. _Fuck it _ Brian thought not wanting delay his arrival at the hospital any longer.

He pulled into the hospital parking lot and practically jumped out of the car. He was almost into the hospital doors when he felt it; the gun was still digging into his skin. He turned around and started back to his car when he became aware of the sound of footprints behind him.

"Mr. Kinney" a voice called out "You need to come with us"

Brian spun around to see two gentlemen in cheap suits staring at him. One of them flashed a badge and neither looked very welcoming.

"Sorry gentlemen; I'm on my way to see someone" he cracked "maybe another time?" he proceeded to his vehicle.

"Mr. Kinney" the shorter gentlemen yelled out "We have reason to believe you're in danger. Your downstairs neighbor just called 911; someone just set your building on fire"

Brian stopped dead in his tracks. _Are you fucking kidding me? _"Look, I'm not going anywhere until I see Justin" he bargained.

"That's fine" the taller detective said "we were heading there next ourselves"

The men gestured for Brian to lead the way. Brian hesitated but eventually allowed himself to follow the two men back to the hospital entrance acutely aware of Cody's gun still digging into the side of his waist.


	6. Chapter 6

Sara Winters left the hospital room of her newest client not convinced she would be able to fully alleviate the damage his bad decisions had caused. Melanie followed her out of the room with the same concerned face.

"So what do you think?" Mel inquired.

Sara did her best to put on a confident face knowing how close Melanie seemed to be the boy "I'm glad you called me" she said taking a glance at her watch "It's almost two a.m now. Nothing more to do tonight. I will give the police a call in the morning and we can arrange a meeting. If his story holds up; he probably won't see any jail time but he's not going to walk away."

Mel nodded. She shivered at the thought of Justin going to jail. _With his face, that poor kid wouldn't last a day._ "Look, I'll be in touch" Sara nodded giving her a friendly hug and leaving down the hall.

Mel waved good-bye and turned to re-enter the room to say good-night herself when she saw Brian and the two detectives approaching. _Shit! _She ran to the elevator hoping to catch Sara but the doors closed on her. She headed back to the room.

"Brian" Melanie called out trying to head him off before entering Justin's room. "You're back"

Just then a nurse appeared with a stern look of disgust "Excuse me, this is a hospital not a club. Visiting hours are over. I'm afraid you will all need to leave. Mr. Taylor needs to rest"

"I'm not leaving until I see him. I'm his…." Brian paused sensing that describing his relationship to this nurse would yield little in the way of results. "Fuck it" he shouted pushing past her to enter Justin's room.

The nurse followed him in. "Excuse me sir, don't make me call security!"

"It's okay" Justin said beaming at the sight of his love "I want him to stay, please"

The nurse recoiled. "Hospital policy, only one person can stay".

"I'm staying" Brian exclaimed not leaving the matter up for debate.

Justin looked at Melanie "Mom is probably still in the waiting room. Will you get her to go home and get some sleep? Tell her I'll call her in the morning and that I love her"

"Of course" Mel nodded

The nurse huffed but relented to the arrangement and promptly ushered Melanie and the detectives out of the room with threats of security for continued disruptions.

When they were alone Brian offered the only greeting he could "Hey" he said with a half smile.

"Hey" Justin said back "How pissed are you?"

Brian shook his head "I'm just glad you're going to be okay" he walked over and kissed him gently on the mouth "You really make it difficult…" he started trailing off not wanting to waste time arguing.

"…I know, I really screwed up this time" Justin said. "I'm really sorry"

"I know" Brian offered "Just get better" he gently sat on the bed and wrapped his arm around Justin taking care not to get entangled in the wires attaching him to a number of pumps and machines. He felt grateful to be holding him finally after this crazy night.

"Are you really staying tonight with me?" Justin whispered "I'll be okay if you'd rather get a good night sleep in your own bed"

Brian nodded "of course I'm staying" he said kissing Justin's forehead and patting his thigh. "Oh, by the way. I couldn't go to the loft anyway. Cody set it on fire." Brian said it calmly to down play the severity of the situation.

"What?" Justin said jolting sideways to study Brian's face suddenly causing a severe pain to go through him.

"Don't worry about it" Brian said softly "Get some sleep. We will talk more in the morning."

Brian and Justin had just dozed off when a nurse woke Brian. "Sir" she said more pleasantly than the last nurse "you can't sleep in the bed with Mr. Taylor. We need to be able to do our assessments thru the night. I brought you a reclining chair and I left you a blanket"

Brian stood up carefully so as to not disturb Justin and moved to the chair as instructed. He grabbed his bag and slid the gun out of his waistband and into the shirt be had brought. He plugged his phone into charge. He changed into his sweatpants and laid down in the uncomfortable chair looking at Justin peacefully sleeping, his blond hair matted down from sweat. He reached over and took Justin's hand. Brian thought about the loft for the first time since hearing about the fire. He wasn't sure if Cody had followed him from his father's house or how he knew where Brian lived. He should be livid with Justin. Letting this guy into our lives; almost getting both himself and Brian killed in the process but his anger was surpassed by the deep relief he felt that Justin was okay.


	7. Chapter 7

Carl Horvath hung up his phone and sighed heavily. "You'll be relieved to know that Brian is at the hospital with Justin" he informed the trio of would-be sleuths "Daphne, there are some officers coming here to take a statement about the break in. Do you have somewhere else you can go tonight?"

Daphne nodded. "I guess I can go to my parents" she suggested.

"Good" Carl offered "I will stay with you until the officers arrive and they can take you".

He patted Michael on his back "You did the right thing calling me. There's nothing you can do now; you and Lindsay should go home"

Michael nodded and led Lindsay out of the apartment resigned to take her home and return to his own family.

Once the scene was processed and he had left Daphne in the capable hands of Pittsburgh's finest, Carl Horvath returned to his office at the precinct. It was not his usual style to interfere in cases that were not his own, but if he expected to sleep in his bed, next to his spit-fire of a wife, anytime in the near future, he resolved to have at least some comforting answers to Debbie's questions. She was a pit-bull on a bone when it came to protecting her "lost boys".

* * *

Brian was awakened by the hospital aid taking Justin's vital signs. He glanced at his phone lying on the table nearby. "It's five am" he mumbled at the aid. "Aren't people supposed to get some rest when they are in the hospital?"

The aid apologized for the interruption, mumbled something about 'just doing her job' and left them.

Justin was still half asleep from the pain drugs he was receiving on a steady basis. Brian studied his face in the poorly lit room. There wasn't a time Brian recalled not being attracted to him. Even in the very beginning, when Brian couldn't shake the man to save his life; there was always the pull of his stunning blue eyes and perfect pink pouty lips. His blond hair, practically shaved now, made him look even younger, more innocent. He recalled the feeling of his hand running over his head; feeling the soft prickliness of his buzz cut for the first time. Even though Brian had always enjoyed grabbing a fistful of Justin's hair at opportune moments; he had to admit this new look was pretty hot. Brian continued to stare at his sleeping lover from his vantage point on the reclining chair next to his bed. He drifted back to sleep his fingers still intertwined with Justin's.

Justin and Brian were both startled awake again by the sound of a firm knock to the door. Neither man recognized the woman right off. "Justin" she called "I'm Sara…Do you remember talking to me last night? I've been retained to represent you."

She stared, waiting for Justin's foggy medicated and sleepy eyes to focus in recognition. Justin nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah, of course…come in" he motioned her, slowly sitting up in the bed.

Sara sat her briefcase down on the foot of Justin's bed. She looked at Brian, who by now, was sitting up himself. "Can you excuse us?" she asked.

"No" Brian said bluntly, staring her down before glancing at Justin seeking his permission for him to stay.

Justin interjected, "This is my partner, Brian Kinney." He introduced them.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Kinney" she said extending her hand "I'm sorry to be so abrupt but there will be detectives here to talk to Justin in about a half hour and I need to speak with him".

"You can't talk in front of me?" he asked irritated and hurt, directing his comment more to Justin than to Sarah.

"In order to maintain privilege, there can't be a third party in the room" Sara explained "You and Mr. Taylor are not married; they could compel you to testify against him if it came to that. Please trust me that it is better for Justin if you are not here; so you don't hear anything you shouldn't."

The 'not married' comment stung Brian a little. He never had any desire to get married but for the first time he considered how he would be personally impacted, discriminated against really, by the outright ban on same-sex marriage. He briefly wondered how many life-long, same-sex partners might have been 'compelled' under similar circumstances. He made a mental note to send a generous donation to the marriage equality initiative.

Brian kissed Justin on the forehead lightly. "I think I will make some calls and grab some coffee. Do you want anything?"

Justin shook his head no and gave Brian a guilt filled, pained look "I'm sorry" he whispered again.

Brian looked at his cell phone as he exited the hospital room and headed to the waiting room. _Twenty seven missed calls. Jesus Christ!_

Brian began playing the messages. Most of the calls were from his 'family' looking for him last night. One was from Michael caused him alarm.

_*Beep* Brian, where the fuck are you? Look Cody broke into Daphne's apartment and we think he took a gun, so if you're looking for him; just stop! Call me as soon as you get this!" *Beep*_

Christ, the gun. Brian turned around and headed back to Justin's room anticipating that Sara needed to know he had it, not Cody.

He was almost to the hall when he saw the two detectives from last night come off the elevator. "Mr. Kinney" Dt. Wills called to him.

Brian approached the men. "Any news of Cody?" he asked followed by "How's my loft?"

Dt. Savage responded, "There looks to be mostly smoke and water damage to your space. The fire department can give you some names of companies that specialize in cleaning up after fires. Thankfully, your neighbors called 911 before any the building sustained much structural damage. You're very lucky, considering."

"Lucky?" Brian shot off. "Nothing about this feels lucky!"

Dt Wills shook his head, "Look Brian, your boyfriends alive and your place didn't burn to the ground, nor was anyone injured or hurt in the fire. When compared to other people Mr. Bell has come into contact with; that's a pretty good outcome."

Brian nodded and followed the men back to Justin's hospital room. Sara welcomed Brian back and ushered the two detectives in, introducing herself to the detectives.

"Mr. Taylor" Dt. Wills began, "we have some questions."

Justin nodded, "I know, I will do my best to answer them"

Sara interjected, "Mr. Taylor would like to cooperate fully. However, he would like immunity for what he is about to say. I think you will find that Mr. Taylor was an innocent victim in the events instigated by Cody Bell. Mr. Taylor has information that will assist you in prosecuting Mr. Bell and in exchange for that information; we would like a guarantee from the district attorney that Mr. Taylor will not be prosecuted for the limited role he played in last night's unfortunate events."

Dt. Wills nodded agreement having already spoken to the DA on the matter assuming such an arrangement would be requested. "I've spoken to the DA already; as long as Mr. Taylor cooperates and is not directly responsible for any acts of violence. There will be no charges."

Justin looks at Sara, who nods in agreement giving permission for Justin to talk. "OK, where do I begin?" Justin asked.

Dt. Savage answered, "Start with how you met Cody Bell and go from there".

Justin took a deep breath stifled by the surge of pain from his lungs and began.

"It all started with Darren, Shanda Lier's, bashing. I was bashed too, at my high school prom. It brought up a lot of memories, unresolved anger and Cody just seemed to have the answers. I heard him at a meeting about the violence. He said we would be protecting ourselves against homophobes. I just didn't want anyone else to get hurt. So I joined them….the pink posse" Justin continued outlining all the events that led up to last night and what he knew about Cody's whereabouts…the gym they went to, the bars they frequented, the apartment where he lived.

Detectives Wills and Savage took the rest of Justin's statement. When he was done, Wills reviewed his notes and sighed, "Well if I understand you. You and Cody were kissing outside the bar. The man who stabbed you called you 'freaks'. Cody and you followed them into the alley by his car. Cody also said some words which in turn caused the man to shove Cody, calling him a 'faggot'. You threw a punch first. The man pulled a knife; Cody pulled a gun and aimed it at the man's head. Do I have the order correct so far?"

Justin nodded his agreement; the Detective continued "Did you know Cody had a gun?"

"No"

"What did you do when you saw the gun?" he asked.

"First, I just froze. Then I went to push the man away from the gun. I didn't want to push Cody's hand because his finger was on the trigger. So I thought if I got between Cody and the man. I would be able to stop him from doing something stupid."

"Then what?" Dt. Savage encouraged him to continue.

"The man fell backwards and it distracted Cody. I saw his finger pull the trigger and then I knew."

"What?" the Detectives asked in unison.

"I knew the gun wasn't loaded" Justin admitted. "I could tell by the look in the man's eyes he also saw the gun wasn't loaded and I knew we were in trouble. The man started to get up. Cody ran and left me there. He grabbed my arm and stopped me. Then he just stabbed me. His girlfriend screamed, she tried to come help me but he stopped her. He told her that I probably had AIDS and not to touch me."

Brian got up and left the room, his mind was reeling with the information he just received. Justin had kissed Cody. Justin threw the first punch. Justin had tried to fix it. Justin was hurt by another fucking homophobic bastard.

_Justin. Kissed. Cody_.

Brian gasped, finding it difficult to keep breathing; overcome by jealousy, anger, sadness, and worry. The detectives met him in the hall. "Are you all right?" they asked.

Brian nodded, his thoughts becoming clearer. "There's someone else you should talk to" he offered. "Frank Bell, Cody's father".

With that, Sara and the detectives left, leaving Justin alone with Brian.

Justin looked at Brian, searching his face for a sign of what was going on in that complicated brain of his. "Brian" he finally said softly "Come here please"

Brian sat on Justin's bed, leaning against the head of the bed that was fully upright, and laying his arm over Justin's shoulder. He pulled Justin into the cradle of his arm so that Justin's head rested on Brian's shoulder. Justin looked up at Brian again, "Do you forgive me?" he asked, a tear flowing down his flushed cheek.

"Justin", Brian admitted, "I found the gun."

Justin's sobs fell freely now. "I'm so sorry. I don't think I could go through with it. I just... I just wanted to be done with him so badly."

"What were you going to do with it?" Brian asked confused.

"Kill him" Justin said softly "I want him dead"

"Who?" Brian asked his confusion turning into fear.

"Chris Hobbs" he admitted "Cody found him. He kept telling me how I should have fought back. Cody said it would make the nightmares go away. I would finally be free."

"Are you fucking insane? You were going to kill Hobbs?" Brian asked jarring Justin by jumping up out of bed in anger as he spoke. "I thought we had put this behind us?"

The sudden movement caused Justin to cease up in pain. His jaw was clenched and he moaned in agony. His usually pale face a bright shade of red.

"Oh God, Justin" Brian exclaimed realizing the effect of his action "I'm sorry, are you okay?" he tried to comfort him, sitting back into the bed gently and rubbing his shoulders. He held him for a few minutes until he calmed down.

"It's just…." He asked softly "how could you do that? How could you do that to me?"

"I wasn't doing anything to you Brian" Justin seethed through clenched teeth "this has nothing to do with you. You didn't get your head bashed in. It's not your hand that throbs so bad you can't do the one thing that you most want to do. For once, I didn't want to be poor whittle Justin. Someone you have to take care of; I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, you're doing fucking fantastic at that so far you twat. So you think if you get sent to jail or risk your life, that doesn't impact me?" Brian spurted, "What the fuck Justin? What you do- has everything to do with me! I love you, you asshole!"

"What?" Justin said dumbfounded.

Brian rewound his last statement. _Had he really just said that out loud?_

"What you do affects me" Brian repeated slowly, still unsure if he said what he thought he said.

"No!" Justin insisted "What else did you just say?"

"Nothing!" Brian hissed.

"Brian" he said laughing softly "I've been waiting four years for you to say that. You don't just get to toss it out and call me an asshole in the same breath."

"Fine! I said I love you" he kissed him softly.

Justin sighed, closing his eyes and taking in the moment "I know" he answered "I've always known; but it's nice to hear it finally". He leaned in and kissed him as deep as he could disregarding the pain he was still in.

"Justin" Brian said in between kisses, "you're still an asshole for putting us through this."

"I know" Justin laughed "I know that too"

"Sunshine" Brian said again, looking into his lover's eyes "One more thing…" he cupped his hands on Justin's face and pulled him in closely.

"Need I remind you of our arrangement?" he scattered feathery kisses across Justin's face.

"No one…" he whispered, kissing his cheek.

"kisses these lips…" he brushed his finger over Justin's lips before placing his lips to Justin's for a kiss conveying all the possessiveness that Brian intended.

"but me!" he pulled back and was rewarded with Justin's million dollar smile.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long for Chapter 7. I got distracted by The Bet, another story...it's posted on this site as well. I hate when stories are not complete so I promise to bring both of these stories to conclusion. Anyways, this one has a few more chapters left so please review, favorite and follow if you're enjoying it so far.


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